Surprised by Family: a Contemporary Romance Duet (42 page)

What the hell kind of jerk was he that he didn’t even know if her parents were still alive? He’d fallen in love with her; with her kind, generous heart, her enthusiasm for living life, and even the occasional crabbiness when she didn’t get enough sleep, but shouldn’t he also know the important details of her life?

Her gaze remained locked on his, her smile firmly in place with each step. Doubt began to fade. He realized he was grinning like a besotted fool and didn’t even care.

“Hey,” she whispered when she reached him.

He took her hand in his. “Hey yourself. You look beautiful.”

Pleasure brought an instant rosy glow to her already radiant face. “Thank you. You’re not so bad yourself.”

The minister cleared his throat, and she squeezed his fingers as she handed her sister her bouquet, then turned to face the clergyman. Sam stared at her profile, then followed her lead and faced the stone fireplace as well. As the minister began speaking, the desire swelled within his chest for her to be in his life for as long as the vows would promise.

‘Til death do us part.

Or ‘til she finds out you lied to her
.

He closed his eyes and drew in a breath. God, he wished he could ignore the voice in his head, but it spoke the truth. His pulse raced at a sickening speed. He glanced back over his right shoulder at his best man as earlier words echoed in his head.

We kept things from each other. That’s no way to start a marriage.

Carter gave him a questioning frown, and Sam returned his attention front and center.

Marriage should never be taken lightly—or be entered into for the wrong reasons.

Emma Winston’s words hit even harder. A glance over his left shoulder met with the sea of faces making up Nikki’s family and friends.

Beside him, her fingers tightened on his, whether in reassurance or warning, he couldn’t be sure. It didn’t matter, because his conscience lifted his free hand toward the minister.

“Stop.” He turned to face her once more, his heart heavier than it’d ever been. This time he would do the right thing before it was too late. “Nik, I’m sorry, but I can’t do this.”

Nikki froze as Sam’s statement echoed in the tunnel she suddenly seemed to be standing in. Coupled with the apologetic misery in his expression, she knew the answer before she even whispered, “Can’t do what?”

“We don’t have to get married.”

Vivid reality rushed back, making her acutely aware of how quiet everyone had become. Soft music still played in the background, and the fire snapped in the large stone hearth they stood in front of, but the rest of the room was dead silent. Even the minister watched with avid interest.

Could they hear the pounding of her heart? The shallow breaths she attempted to drag into her compressed lungs?

From the corner of her eye, she saw Marissa move a few inches closer, but Nikki stayed her with one hand and focused on Sam. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and kept her shaky voice low.

“We settled this last week. Why are you bringing it up
right now?
”

He pulled a creased envelope from his inside breast pocket and handed it to her. After a frantic glance toward the concerned faces of her family in the front, she unfolded the paper inside and read the contents.

A relieved, joyful smile curved her lips and she lifted her gaze to Sam’s. “I don’t understand. This is great news.”

“It is, but...”

He didn’t smile in return, and realization hit so hard, she took a half step back. The
but
of it was, with the final report already filed and Ella safely in his custody, he no longer
needed
to marry her. Didn’t want to marry her. Tears threatened, but she fought to maintain her composure.

“I needed to show you the letter so you knew you didn’t have to marry me for Ella’s sake.”

Whispers erupted in the room. His face swam in her vision, and she knew staving off tears was a losing fight. She retreated another step and her heel caught on the train of her dress.

Sam lunged forward and caught her before she stumbled backward. Marissa had moved as well and now stood directly behind her, the hand on the small of her back offering silent support. With her balance restored, Nikki expected him to let go, but instead, his warm grip tightened on her arms.

She blinked at the moisture swimming in her eyes, and stared up into his distressed golden gaze. At least he felt bad about pretty much jilting her at the altar.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated as silence fell again. “I wasn’t even going to say anything, but Carter said that’s no way to start a marriage, and Emma Winston said to do it for the right reasons, and then I saw how perfect you’d made everything and I knew I couldn’t let you go through with it without knowing the truth.”

Wait...
what?
He was running his sentences together like whenever he got nervous. The tightness in her chest eased a fraction, allowing her a substantial breath. She lifted the report she still clutched in her numb fingers. “This truth?”

He nodded. Then an unexpected vulnerability entered his eyes, and she noticed his Adam’s apple jerk up and down.

“That, and the truth about how I feel about you.”

Her heart leapt up into her throat again, yet she managed to whisper, “A-and how do you feel about me, Sam?”

He cast a swift glance around the room, then took a deep breath and met her gaze. “I want you to know I’m in this for the right reasons, not the one I’m sure your family, and probably you, think. Yes, Ella played a big part in the beginning of all this between us, but with or without her, I still
want
to marry you.”

His voice had grown gruff with emotion. Tears threatened for a whole different reason. “You do?”

He gave a solemn nod. “I do. I’ve fallen in love with you, Nik, and I know how bad you want a family, but there are plenty of examples in this room that prove without love to back it up, family is nothing more than a word. Standing here with you, I realized that as much as I wished to keep quiet, we can’t do this if you don’t feel the same way.”

She dropped her gaze down to the paper in her hand, a smile trembling on her lips. “You’re right.”

His hands loosened on her arms and fell to his sides. She looked up to see his expression filled with despair. When he shifted backward, she stepped forward and fisted her fingers in his suit lapel to keep him right where he was.

“I
do
want a family, Sam, but Ella’s not the only reason I agreed to marry you.”

“She’s not?”

His eyes lit with a spark of hope. He rested his hands on her hips, and even through the material, his touch sent fissions of awareness coursing through her.

“No, she’s not. What the hell do you think last night was about?” Color tinted his cheeks and she felt an answering heat in her own face. She moved closer to flatten her other palm on his chest. “Think about it. After Joe, do you really think I’d marry someone I don’t love?”

A smile tugged at his lips. “I guess not.”

“You guess?” she echoed with a grin. “Oh, hell no.”

They both laughed at the memory of that line, but then the minister cleared his throat. Nikki sobered. She cast the clergyman an apologetic look, and turned back to the man in front of her.

“I love you, Sam. The chemistry has been there since the beginning, so I did all this hoping someday you would grow to love me, too.”

“Someday is already here.”

The smile that curved his mouth made everything in her world right. “Maybe we should get married,” she suggested with a grin.

Instead of agreeing, he made a noncommittal sound and moved back from her, his expression full of indecision. A frown drew her brows together as he suddenly dropped to one knee in front of her.

“What are you doing?”

“Something I should’ve done last week.”

Excited murmurs came from their guests, but she only had eyes for Sam as he took her hands in his.

“Nicole Rowan, I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side. Will you marry me?”

Now,
that
was a proposal, unlike when she’d just announced they’d get married. She hadn’t realized how much it meant to her until her eyes misted over as she smiled down at him.

“This is better than the most romantic proposal I could’ve ever imagined.”

His eyebrows rose a notch. “Is that a yes?”

She laughed as she urged him to his feet. “
Yes
.”

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her amidst cheers and whistles from her family, until a moment later Eric’s voice intruded. “Um...you’re supposed to kiss the bride
after
you say the I Do’s.”

Nikki laughed as she eased back in Sam’s arms.

“You think that matters to the guy who first proposes
at
the altar?” Derek quipped.

Laughter sounded from all around as Nikki and Sam stepped back in front of the bemused minister so he could marry them—‘til death do they part.

“
Now
you may kiss the bride.”

As Sam leaned in for the kiss, the moment their lips met, his brand new wife laughed in his face. He gave her a mock glare.

“You said this wasn’t going to become a habit.”

She wound her arms around his neck and rested her forehead against his as her laugh subsided to a grin. “I was just thinking how backward we did all this. First the baby, then the wedding, then the proposal.”

“Technically, I did propose before the wedding.”

“I’ll give you that.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “And reward you for it later.”

Her sensual promise added a level of heat to their kiss that, in his opinion, didn’t last nearly long enough. Then again, they had years ahead of them to practice.

I fell in love with books at a young age, so for me it seemed only natural to graduate to writing them. I credit my parents for encouraging my dreams of becoming a published author, as well as the very talented friends I've made in Romance Writers of America (RWA) and Wisconsin Romance Writers (WisRWA).

An avid reader and fan of movies with a happily ever after, I live in Wisconsin with my husband and three children, a couple horses and some barn cats. In my limited free time I enjoy gardening and canning, and visiting my parents up north at the cabin on the lake with the whole family.

Follow Stacey online:

Website and Blog:
http://www.StaceyJoyNetzel.com

Facebook:
Facebook.com/StaceyJoyNetzel

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/StaceyJoyNetzel

Other books by Stacey Joy Netzel

ITALY INTRIGUE SERIES

(romantic suspense)

Lost In Italy*

Run to Rome

*2012 Write Touch Readers’ Award Winner

COLORADO TRUST SERIES

(romantic suspense)

Evidence of Trust

Trust by Design

Trust in the Lawe

Shattered Trust

Dare to Trust

WELCOME TO REDEMPTION SERIES

(small town romance, bks 1,3,5,7 written by Donna Marie Rogers)

A Fair to Remember
, book 2

Grounds For Change
, book 4

The Heart of the Matter
, book 6

Hold On To Me
, book 8

ROMANCING WISCONSIN SERIES

(small town romance)

Mistletoe Mischief

Mistletoe Magic

Mistletoe Match-up

Autumn Wish

STAND ALONE ROMANCE TITLES

More Than a Kiss
, contemporary romance

Chasin’ Mason
, contemporary western romance

Ditched Again
, high school reunion novella

Dragonfly Dreams
, Christmas novella

PARANORMAL ROMANCE TITLES

If Tombstones Could Talk
, paranormal novella

Beneath Still Waters
(Part One), paranormal novella

Rising Above
(Still Waters Part Two), paranormal novella

The
Romancing Wisconsin Volume I (Holiday Boxed Set)
includes Stacey Joy Netzel’s 2010 Write Touch Award-winning stories
Mistletoe Mischief
,
Mistletoe Magic
,
Mistletoe Match-Up
, and the exclusive bonus short story,
Mistletoe Rules
.

Christmas recipe for love—combine a matchmaking Santa, lots of mistletoe, one iron-clad rule, fated hearts; mix and stir. The Riley siblings don't stand a chance.

“
I absolutely loved this anthology and really enjoyed getting to know each of Ms. Netzel’s characters. I loved how each couple had their own story and then crossed over in the other stories as well. I would highly recommend this anthology and I’m making it a keeper in my library. You definitely won’t go wrong picking up these three stories for your reading enjoyment.
” ~ Diana, Night Owl Reviews, TOP PICK

***

Mistletoe Mischief
(Romancing Wisconsin Book 1):
Christmas in July at the zoo is the last place single parents Eric Riley and Marissa Wilder expect to find love. Thanks to some mistletoe mischief in the form of their two young daughters and Santa, they discover mistletoe rules were not made to be broken.

EXCERPT:

“Daddy, you’re under the mistletoe.”

Eric glanced up at a sprig of leaves and holly berries attached to the roof of the cart, then dropped his gaze to Marissa’s. “So we are,” he murmured.

Her face flushed, but he couldn’t tell if it was from embarrassment, or anticipation of a kiss. He knew the reason
his
pulse raced like an out of control locomotive.

“You have to kiss her,” Reese stated.

God Bless you, Reese.

Santa laid his arm across the back of the front passenger seat and craned his head around, his brown eyes twinkling. “‘Tis tradition.”

“It’s the
rule
,” Reese argued, frowning at Santa before turning back to Eric. “You say so every Christmas when we stand in the doorway at Grandma’s.”

“I do, don’t I?”

Reese nodded emphatically. “Every year.”

Eric faced Marissa and sighed with exaggerated reluctance. “I might’ve been able to buck tradition, but a rule’s a rule.”

***

Mistletoe Magic
(Romancing Wisconsin Book 2):
Major Mark Riley plays Court Jester to Janelle Walsh's Snow Queen at the Christmas Parade and is instantly captivated by the cute redhead whose grandpa just happens to be Santa. When Mark learns she's the tenant he evicted from his newly purchased property, it's going to take a little bit of Santa's mistletoe magic to save their romance.

EXCERPT:

She gave him a quick half-smile and sidestepped toward the wagon. “It was nice to meet you, Major. Thanks for doing such a great job as the jester.”

“You’re welcome, and you can call me Mark, you know.”

Major’s safer.”

The briefest flash of consternation in her expression told him she hadn’t meant to say that out loud. When her foot landed on the step so she could pull herself up into the driver’s seat, Mark caught her arm and turned her around. She grabbed hold of his shoulder to keep her balance on the narrow step.

“If I don’t do this, it’s going to drive me crazy until I see you again,” he told her in a low voice.

Her throat muscles worked in a hard swallow. “Do what?” A downward flick of her gaze said she knew the answer to her own question.

He let his mouth relax in a slow, confident smile. One step closer brought him close enough to brace a hand against the wagon on either side of her. “I gotta tell you, pretty as you were as the Snow Queen, elf suits you better—although I do miss those cute, pointy little ears.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please.”

He took a moment to let his gaze roam over her face. Snow drifted down silently and their breath mingled in the frigid air. Mark drew out the anticipation of what was to come, enjoying the awareness that warmed the space between them.

“You look like Christmas,” he murmured.

One corner of her mouth twitched. “I’m guessing it’s the costume.”

He shook his head and reached up to twirl a red curl around his finger, watching the silky length wind against his skin before holding her gaze with his. “Red and green, and all wrapped up like a delicious, cinnamon scented present.”

She laughed softly.

Mark closed the remaining few inches, pressing the length of his body to hers. “In fact, I think I need to go find Santa and tell him I’ve been a real good boy this year.”

He spoke the last words a hairsbreadth away from her lips.

***

Mistletoe Match-Up
(Romancing Wisconsin Book 3):
When Lisa Riley comes home for her brother Mark's Christmas Eve wedding, her high school rivalry with his wife Janelle's cousin, Derek Walsh, picks up right where it left off, only this time Derek has the upper hand. Santa bides his time as they battle it out because he's waited a whole year for this mistletoe match-up.

EXCERPT:

She ignored Derek and smiled at Mark and Janelle. “I would love to help.”

“Great!” Janelle exclaimed. She looked from Lisa, to Derek, and back. “Hey, wouldn’t it be fun if you two had a little contest to see who could raise the most money? Just like old times.”

Derek’s hands clenched at his side.
Great. Just great, Janelle
. He waited for Lisa to gleefully pounce at the opportunity to bury him again, only to be surprised by her dismayed expression.

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” she said.

He should be relieved. Instead, his competitive demon demanded retribution for all the humiliation it’d endured during the
old times
. He’d bury her. “Why not?” he asked.

Her gaze remained locked on his cousin. “No offense, Janelle, but it seems a little silly. I mean, we’re not in high school anymore.”

Derek relaxed and fell into their old pattern with ease. “What’s the matter, Lisa, afraid you’ve lost your magic touch? Are you not up for the challenge?”

That got her. Her spine stiffened and fire gleamed in her eyes. “Of course I am.”

He fake frowned, nodded his head with understanding, and stage whispered, “I get it.”

“Get what?”

Derek glanced at their captive audience. “Nothing.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. He valiantly avoided staring at her increased cleavage. It wasn’t so hard with his grandparents and her brother watching. And her silent demand for an answer.

“I probably shouldn’t say it now. Not in front of everyone.”

Lisa’s eyes narrowed. “Please, do enlighten us—all of us.” Her condescending sarcasm stroked the blood-thirsty devil on his shoulder. Their audience of respective family members waited in expectation. Grandpa, in particular, appeared to enjoy the exchange immensely. This next part would almost make high school worth it. Derek shrugged. “Obviously, it’s me.”

“You?” She infused the single word with an appropriate amount of humorous disbelief and disdain, only she avoided looking him in the eye.

“You’re scared you can’t handle me all grown up.”

The outrageous statement produced the desired laughs—only Lisa’s sounded forced. Her right hand rose to flick her hair back over her shoulder, then smoothed down the length of her burgundy satin dress.
Hmm.
He hadn’t dreamed his intentional bait would be remotely close to the truth. Derek moved in for the kill. “That’s why you chickened out under the mistletoe.”

The words
‘bite me’
resounded in his head as she glared at him and took a breath to speak. He waggled his finger in the air between them. “Uh, uh. Careful.”

Lisa stepped forward and grabbed his hand. He fought to keep his expression impassive while she bent his finger back just enough to make her point. She leaned close, her breath hot on his lips as she ground out, “You’re on, buddy. I’m going to kick your butt so bad you’ll wish I’d never moved back.”

Too late for that.

***

Watch for more 'seasons' of
Romancing Wisconsin
in the future. There's still Autumn, Spring and Summer to cover!